Sample Interview Questions

Ideally, job interview questions are designed to help an employer learn as much as possible about you in a very short time. Questions can fall into a number of categories including personal goals and accomplishments, self-assessment, educational and work experiences, relationships with people, and life/career expectations. As part of your preparation for a job interview, we recommend that you read the questions below and select a few from each category to practice.

  1. What are your long-range and short-range goals and objectives? When and why did you establish these goals and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?
  2. What specific goals, other than those related to your occupation, have you established for yourself for the next ten years?
  3. What do you really want to do in life?
  4. What are your long-range career objectives?
  5. How do you plan to achieve your career goals?
  6. What are the most important rewards you expect in your career?
  7. What do you expect to be earning in five years?
  8. Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing?
  9. What do you consider your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
  10. Tell me about yourself.
  11. How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you?
  12. Who or what has had the greatest influence on your life?
  13. What motivates you to put forth your best effort?
  14. How has your education prepared you for a career?
  15. Why should I hire you?
  16. What qualifications do you have that make you think that you will be successful in this career?
  17. How do you define or evaluate success?
  18. What do you think it takes to be successful in a company like ours?
  19. What qualities should a successful manager possess?
  20. Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and subordinate.
  21. What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?
  22. Give an example of a time in which you worked under deadline pressure.
  23. Give an example of a situation in which you provided a solution to an employer.
  24. Describe your most rewarding college experience.
  25. If you were hiring a graduate for this position, what qualities would you look for?
  26. Why did you select your college or university?
  27. What lead you to choose your field of study?
  28. What college subjects did you like best? Why?
  29. What college subjects did you like least? Why?
  30. If you could do so, how would you plan your academic study differently? Why?
  31. What changes would you make in your college or university? Why?
  32. Do you have plans for continued study?
  33. Do you think that your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement? Why or why not?
  34. What have you learned from participation in extracurricular activities?
  35. In what kind of a work environment are you most comfortable?
  36. How do you work under pressure?
  37. In what part-time or summer jobs have you been most interested? Why?
  38. How would you describe the ideal job?
  39. Why did you decide to seek a job with us?
  40. What do you know about our organization?
  41. What two or three things are most important to you in a job?
  42. What criteria are you using to evaluate organizations for which you hope to work?
  43. Will you travel and/or relocate?
  44. What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?
  45. What have you learned from your mistakes?
  46. What salary and benefits do you expect?
  47. (Technical question from your field of study.)